24-Hour Prayer Chain
Our HOURLY PRAYER CHAIN begins from 12 midnight every first Friday of the month.
Prayer is vital if a church wants to see revival, and that is our earnest prayer, that God revive us. What is revival? “Re”….again; “viva”….life. Or to bring something to life again. Revival starts in the individual and then spreads to a church or community. So for our monthly Friday prayer we will this year be focusing on first getting our own hearts and lives in order, on allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us, to change us, to challenge us, to revive us so we can be an instrument in God's hands to bring revival.
Our focus will be on 2 Chronicles 7:14.
AUGUST. "...Then will I hear"
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Reading. 2 Chronicles 7:1-16
Solomon had just completed the building of the Temple. It took him 7 years. God and Solomon had been having a conversation. God made a conditional promise to Solomon that whenever His people returned to the Lord with all their heart, God would answer their prayer.
The word “then” in this verse (V.14) is very important. It means……after that; next; afterwards.
After what? After God's people had done what was required of them by God.
Once their part was complete, God could do His part. The next response was God’s.
Verse 15 says….
Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place.
“Now”, God says, “I won’t be hindered or held back from answering your prayer. Now I can bless you.”
Verse 16 NLT.
… I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy-a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.”
Do you remember what the New Testament says about temples?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.
You and I are God's home. We are where He lives, so as we fulfil the conditions God requires, He will delight to answer our prayers also.
Often the delay we experience in having prayer answered is because God is working His purpose in our lives, He is bringing change, transforming us to be like Jesus, so when the answer comes He gets all the glory. We may consider it a waste of time praying over and over for the same thing, but God hears every prayer and the answer will come in his time and His way.
In verse 14 God says “then will I hear”.
Does that mean that He couldn’t hear before their repentance etc? God could hear the voices and the words being said, but He wanted obedience and repentance, evidence of a changed heart, before He would answer their prayer.
Psalm 66:18 KJV
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me….
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. NLT
Habakkuk 1:13 KJV
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity:
But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. NLTThese scriptures are very clear. Jesus gave His life for us. He became sin for us. He took our sin and gave us His holiness. So when a believer sins it causes great pain and sorrow in the heart of God and he turns away from evil and waits for our repentance.
Do you wonder sometimes why your prayer has not been answered? Literally, you have been getting the “cold shoulder” from God? Often the reason is simply a matter of our unwillingness to forgive.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. NLT
If the Lord came to our church, would he be able to say….. “Well done, faithful servants. I have seen your humility, your prayer, your seeking after me, and your turning from wickedness. Now I am listening and will reward you and bring healing to your land and its people.”
…..then I will hear from heaven.
Heaven is where God sits on His throne and beside Him, at His right hand, sits Jesus. What is He doing right now?
Romans 8:34 NLT
Who then will condemn us? No one-for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading (interceding) for us.
“Intercede” means ….to use your influence to persuade someone in authority to forgive another person, or save this person from punishment:
That’s what Jesus has done, and continues to do for every one of us.
Why don't you stop and think about it for a while, then give Him praise and thanks that He hears you, that He will intercede for you and will answer your prayer.
He is a faithful God!